A Humboldt County Superior Court judge ruled Monday that there is sufficient evidence to hold Jason Anthony Warren to stand trial on charges that he brutally murdered two women last year.

Warren, 29, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, as well as special allegations that he laid in wait and tortured one of his victims. If convicted on all counts, Warren faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

Judge Dale Reinholtsen ruled that prosecutors presented enough evidence to warrant a trial after hearing four days of testimony.

Prosecutors allege that Warren tortured and murdered Hoopa resident Dorothy Ulrich early in the morning of Sept. 27, 2012, before taking a car from her property and driving to Eureka, where he is alleged to have intentionally hit three runners, killing Suzanne Seemann and seriously injuring Jessica Hunt and Terri Vroman-Little.

Hunt’s dog, Maggie, was also killed in the collision.

In his ruling, Reinholtsen indicated he believed District Attorney Paul Gallegos had clearly presented enough evidence to hold Warren for Ulrich’s murder.

During the hearing last week, Gallegos played for the court surveillance footage taken from Ulrich’s home that shows she and Warren arriving there in a silver Kia Spectra on the morning of Sept. 26, 2012. The footage then shows Warren doing some work around the house — including putting up another surveillance camera — throughout the day and into the evening.

Audio pulled from a video located on Ulrich’s porch later captures what prosecutors allege to be her murder. At about 4:20 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2012, a female voice can be hear screaming for help amid loud thumping sounds. Witnesses identified the voices on the recording as belonging to Warren and Ulrich. Minutes later, the surveillance camera captures Warren sneaking away from the residence in the dark.

On Monday, Gallegos said the evidence in the case shows that Ulrich was first struck from behind, indicating Warren laid in wait for his opportunity.

”There was no warning, no provocation and no reason whatsoever,” Gallegos said.

Forensic evidence also linked Warren to the crime scene, according to witness testimony. DNA taken from a blood stain on one of his shoes came back as a match to Ulrich and a clump of hair appearing to have belonged to Ulrich was found in the abandoned Kia when it was recovered in Eureka.

When it came to the charges facing Warren stemming from the hit and run collision outside of Eureka, Reinholtsen said he did have some questions as to the “causation and mechanics” of exactly what happened on Myrtle Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2012, but ultimately found there was sufficient evidence to hold Warren on suspicion of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder.

Prosecutors allege Warren drove directly from Ulrich’s home into Eureka, taking State Route 299 to U.S. Highway 101, before getting off at the Indianola interchange and heading south on Myrtle Avenue. Gallegos said evidence shows Warren passed by the runners on Myrtle Avenue — who were also heading south — then turned around and headed back north past them, before again turning around and running them down from behind.

Witness testimony during the hearing indicated there were no skid marks in or around the collision site, indicating Warren did not apply the brakes either before or after hitting the three women, which Gallegos said “is evidence of a premeditated intent to murder.”

Forensic evidence in the case links the Kia to the hit-and-run collision on Myrtle and damage to the car was consistent with hitting three runners and a dog, according to witness testimony. A piece of the car’s fender and a side mirror later matched to the Kia were also found at the crash site, witnesses said. The Kia was recovered off California Street in Eureka the same morning as the crash.

Witnesses also testified that evidence linked Warren to the Kia.

According to testimony, investigators found pieces of glass in Warren’s clothing that matched the vehicle’s shattered windshield and traces of blood on the vehicle’s pedals that could have been transferred from Warren’s shoes.

”There’s nothing in the testimony to support such a finding… I would suggest the holding order for first-degree murder would be inappropriate,” Robinson said, adding that, at most, his client could be held on suspicion of manslaughter based on evidence presented.

Gallegos countered that the three runners were all wearing reflective clothing and should have been easily visible to motorists. He urged Reinholtsen to consider Warren’s mind-frame based on evidence related to Ulrich’s slaying when considering whether the hit-and-run collision was premeditated.

”It was the same — an unprovoked, unwarranted attack from behind,” he said.

While he expressed some reservations about the “mechanics” of the hit-and-run collision, Reinholtsen pointed to the lack of skid marks and other physical evidence, saying he found prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to support the charges.

Reinholtsen set a Dec. 30 date for Warren’s next appearance, at which point he will be rearraigned in the case.